


Brother's Keeper

by madamelibrarian



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Season/Series 12, Angelic Possession, Angry Gabriel (Supernatural), Angst, Casifer, Fluff, Hurt Castiel, Implied/Referenced Torture, Lucifer Redemption, Self-Sacrificing Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-02-23
Packaged: 2019-03-22 21:17:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13772742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamelibrarian/pseuds/madamelibrarian
Summary: With Castiel possessed by Lucifer and having fled after being discovered, the Winchester's have no idea what to do next. Desperate for help, Sam prays to someone he has no hope of hearing from.





	Brother's Keeper

**Author's Note:**

> This started out as a conversation between princessofsabriel.tumblr.com and lucibae-is-dancing-in-hell.tumblr.com and myself.. this is what happens when we open a google doc.
> 
> Thank you, to you beautiful snowflakes for helping me write this. It was great fun to collaborate with you and to have you as co-authors.
> 
> This is kind of an extension of the Adventures of Baby Castiel verse but can be read separately.

Sam watched his brother’s shoulders slump in defeat after Lucifer fled with his newly acquired vessel.  The light in the older hunter’s eyes grew distant with grief for his best friend. Castiel was his friend too, but to Dean he had always been something more. Whether either of them wanted to admit it or not.

He stood up from where he’d been thrown, and rubbed his temple to try and stop the spinning. He had an idea forming. There was only one being, besides God himself, that Sam could think of might be able _and_ willing to help them save Cas. Figuring nothing was impossible in this shit-show that was the Winchester’s life, Sam took a chance. The being he thought about most likely dead, but Sam had to hope against hope that life would give them a break just this once. So, taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes in silent prayer:

“Gabriel? I’m not sure you can hear me. Hell, I’m not even sure you’re alive. But we need your help if you are. Well, Cas needs your help, actually. I’ve told you about the whole Amara-deal already, so I’ll skip that, but Cas he… he got it into his head that Lucifer could beat her. I don’t know exactly what happened but somehow… Lucifer possessed Cas. Gabriel, Lucifer is in Cas’ body. Cas is still in there and he fought his way to the front to stop Lucifer from killing me, so I’m assuming he’s conscious. But we need to get the devil out of there and… well you’re the only one I could think of that cared enough about him and had the ability to help. Please Gabriel. If you’re out there, _please_ help!”

Releasing a breath, Sam imagined his soul reaching out to Gabriel’s grace, pleading for him to help them. Maybe he wanted to stay out of more of the Winchesters’ messes, but this was his little brother, surely he’d come out of hiding to help him; to save him?

He waited for almost a full minute and was just about to sigh in defeat at yet another prayer gone unanswered, when 180 pounds of pissed off archangel landed behind him with a swish of wings.

**.oOo.**

Gabriel had had enough. He really did. Before now he’d been content to sit in the background, letting the Winchesters figure out how to unscrew the universe. Since the last time he tried to help, Lucifer shoved a blade into his chest. The result of which was him hopping into a pocket dimension and spend the next several years trying to recharge. A meager trickle of healing energy coming from prayers, which he’d grown used to over the centuries. It was peaceful, until he started hearing Sam’s prayers. It amazed him how much blind faith the youngest Winchester had. For all Sam knew, Gabriel was nothing more than stardust.

Focusing in on the prayer, he let all else fall into a quiet hum as Sam spoke. When the prayer concluded, Gabriel was filled with a feeling of despair. Lucifer was free. He couldn’t believe it. And what made it worse was that he was in Castiel’s vessel. Squashing his little brother’s grace like so many grapes. Grace wasn’t meant to be treated like that. This could kill Castiel and Lucifer knew it.

“That selfish, conceited, willful… ASSHOLE!” Gabriel roared. His feelings of sadness melted away at the thought of the Angel he raised, little Castiel, being treated in such a manner. The little fledgling he taught how to fly, soothed away nightmares of the pit and how to not call Lucifer a ‘birb’. Running on pure rage alone, he snapped his fingers to change into something more appropriate than a pair of pink silk boxers before flying to the source of Sam’s prayer.

“HOLD UP A SECOND! LUCI DID WHAT!?” he growled without greeting when he landed behind Sam, “Where is he?”

Sam jumped in surprise at the sound of a voice behind him. Whirling around with a gun drawn ready to blow a hole in whoever it was; what he saw was not what he was expecting. There stood Gabriel clad in black jeans and a matching leather jacket. “You… you answered? You’re really alive?”

Gabriel frowned at the hunter, because that was not an answer to his question.

“Yes, Sam. I am alive. Yes, I’ve heard all of your prayers and yes, I’ve chosen to ignore them because guess what!? When you fuck up the world then it’s your fucking problem to fix it again. Last time I tried to help I got a fucking sword imbedded in my gut. Now, answer the fucking question? Where is Lucifer with Castiel’s vessel!?”

Sam just stared at him, stunned at the near biblical wrath rolling off the angel.

“More than likely in Hell” came the answer from behind him and he turned around to find Dean with his fists clenched at his side. It was a testament to how powerless Dean must have felt at that moment. He didn’t even bat an eye at the fact that a supposedly dead archangel was standing in front of his little brother.

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed and a growl, that probably shouldn’t make Sam’s toes curl the way it did, escaped his lips through clenched teeth.

“And you! If it weren’t for YOU, Dean fucking Winchester, making my little brother feel like less than the trash on the bottom of your shoe, he wouldn’t be in this situation!” Dean lifted his eyes with a hurt expression, but Gabriel was in no mood to stand down: “Yeah, that’s right! I know exactly what happened here. Sam has been a fountain of knowledge with his prayers. I’ll finish with you later, because right now I have a brother to save!” With that, he flew away.

**.oOo.**

Gabriel didn’t know where he was exactly in relation to his siblings, but he could feel the cold, oily slick caress of Lucifer’s grace. He missed the days when Lucifer’s was warm and soft, but he can’t think about that now. Pushing aside his wave of nostalgia, he spread his wings wide, letting them flex in ways that he’d not felt since the last Heavenly war. Landing, he eventually caught sight of Lucifer sitting against a tree as the sun set in the West. He could see a hint of Castiel’s grace flicking against the barrier of Lucifer’s and it made Gabriel’s stomach roll.

“Lucifer,” he called out sternly..

“Gabriel,” the Prince of Hell drawled with a mouth that was supposed to belong to the cherub Gabriel raised. Granted, envesseled angels never used their own mouths but that wasn’t the point in Gabriel’s eyes. The point was that the voice was stolen. Angels aren’t meant to share a vessel. You don’t possess another angel, damnit!

“Good, you remember my name. Now get out of Castiel and slither back to the hole you crawled out of,” Gabriel snarled as he cautiously approached the older archangel.  

Lucifer looked up with a smile, stroking a finger over Castiel’s cheek, “Now why would I do that?”

“You know why, Luci. Get out,” Gabriel hissed between clenched teeth.

Lucifer let out a laugh that sounded unnatural coming from Castiel’s vessel. Rolling up to his feet, he walked up to Gabriel, invading his personal space. “And who’s going to make me, Messenger? You?”

Gabriel grabbed ahold of Lucifer by the lapels and forcibly shoved him into the tree, pinning him in place. “If I have to, MorningStar. And let me tell you something. You can try and kill me. You can fight with Michael and bitch about the humans, but you touch our little brother? You _hurt_ our brother, _my_ brother, and I’ll send your ass so far back into oblivion you’ll wish I had killed you. I’ll carve you a new fucking cage out of your own grace, you big bag of dicks!" It was just a split second of a moment, but Gabriel caught the flinch of panic that came over Lucifer’s face before he hid it behind the cocky mask once again. Letting a smirk grow on his lips as he got up in his brother’s face once more, the anger still burning bright in his eyes as he promised: “Brother. I spent centuries watching the beings of the world come up with new and creative ways to torture one another. I even invented some myself.. Last time we met, I had no actual intention of hurting you. You were my brother and I loved you. But this time, Luci-this time you fucked up real bad. You went and did the one thing I just can’t accept. You went and did something we all know is forbidden. And what’s worse...” with a growl, he pressed his nose up against Lucifer’s. “you went after my kid!”

Lucifer laughed loudly, the sound grating as it didn’t sound like Castiel at all. “Oh, Gabriel, how little you know. Castiel _accepted_ me _._ He gave his consent, of his own free will.” He made quotes around the words free will and shoved Gabriel away. “Your precious little ‘child’ said _yes_ to me when my own Vessel refused. Castiel consented. And who am I to deny a consenting Vessel? He’s still here, with me, not even fighting me much. Only when his precious Dean was in danger.” He began circling around Gabriel like a predator, smirking. “You can ask him, if you’d like. I’d allow that much.”

Gabriel’s frown deepened as he listened to Lucifer’s words. He wasn’t that surprised to hear that Castiel had consented to the possession, he’d gleaned that much from Sam’s mind. No, what surprised him was how little Lucifer cared for the angel he was possessing. Even last time, when he’d thought he’d killed Gabe, he had wept for his brother. Now, he was possessing another brother, an angel he’d helped raise, and he wasn’t even a little sorry about it.

“Luci, what the hell happened to you? You used to be the light once. You were the best of us all. Now look at you. Your grace is black and oily and fucking _disgusting_ , feels more like a demon than an angel, and you’re possessing Castiel’s vessel. CASTIEL, Luci! You raised him as much as I did. How can you do this to him? How can you wilfully crush our little bird?” He tried to look at Lucifer like the brother he’d once been, tried to get him to _feel_ enough to let Castiel go of his own free will. But the creature that stood before him didn’t care. He knew that already. Yet, he still needed to know how the angel that has once shone the brightest of all could fall so low.

“Because _none_ of you are my family anymore!” Lucifer roared. “Father lost that when he ordered me to Fall. Michael lost me when he threw me into the Cage after I grabbed Lilith and introduced Sin to mankind. _You_ lost that in that shitty motel with your… your _pagan_ friends- no, before that! You ceased to be my brother when you _ran and hid_ from us. And Castiel lost that when he threw a molotov at Michael in Stull Cemetery not that long after I _thought_ I killed you!” Castiel’s… no Lucifer’s chest heaved, “Didn’t any of you think of what the Cage does to an angel? It strips you of everything but your basic instinct to survive. It forces you to think like a villain- and if you can’t, it makes you insane. Why else do you think our older brother is still the Cage and not free? All he can do is sing show tunes and jack off like a disgusting hairless ape. I had to _adapt._ And with adaptation comes a whole new set of skills. Unfortunately, not all those skills are good and wholesome. The angel you knew is _gone,_ Gabriel. He’s never coming back. Father forced him to be this way. Father wanted the Devil- why else do you think he gave _me_ control of the Darkness’ prison in the first place? Because he knew that I would _fail._ ”

Gabriel looked at his brother as he ranted, his heart almost breaking for him. Almost. Because the asshole still had Castiel trapped inside his own vessel’s mind and that was just unforgivable, no matter how much life and your family had gone and screwed you over.

“You know what, Luci? I almost feel bad for you. Yeah, you got screwed over. Yeah, that sucks. You go start as many apocalypses as you want and throw your fucking temper tantrums and maybe daddy will come back just to scold you for it. But you know what?” Letting his wings flare out behind him and his sword glide into his hand, Gabriel lowered his voice into a threatening tone, “Dragging Castiel into this? That’s the last straw. That, my brother, is what’s going to end you”

Lucifer laughed. “Oh, Gabriel, so scary,” he mocked. “Here’s the thing though. You kill me with your special angel stick,” he pointed to the archangel blade casually, “you kill your baby brother. And I don’t think you want that, do you? It seems to me that I win... Again. So tell me how exactly you plan on doing this. Because I am curious.” He cocked his head sideways like a puppy and smirked. “Remember, I taught you everything you know about tricks. And after being in the Cage for millennia? I’ve learned a few more. Not to mention that my Vessel is not all what he seems, oh no.” His smirk grew into a malicious smile. “So, if you’re prepared to die- again. Come at me. I promise I won’t damage you - much.”

 

Heaving a sigh, Gabriel let his shoulders relax as he pretended that he hadn’t thought of that before coming here. Lucifer had taught him every trick, that was true, which was why Gabriel was about to do something that his big brother would never expect of him. Without warning, Gabriel reached up and grabbed the sides of Lucifer’s face, smashing their lips together in what could be seen as a kiss but that wasn’t Gabriel’s intent. Taking advantage of the surprise, he pushed every ounce of his grace into the already crowded vessel, praying to his Father for guidance and that what he was doing wouldn’t kill them all.

**.oOo.**

Blinking with eyes he hadn’t used in millenia, Gabriel looked around at the blackened landscape surrounding him. The sound of thunder echoing over his head and the only illumination from peels of lightening in the sky. “Castiel?” he whispered as he looked around. At first he heard nothing, so he called out again. This time a small sound reached him. A child’s voice calling his name a short distance away. With another flash of lightning he saw Castiel standing a few feet away, but this wasn’t the Castiel he remembered from the warehouse. This being was smaller… covered in filth with wings that looked as if they’d been plucked and then haphazardly had their feathers glued back on. Gabriel ran toward the child and fell to his knees in front of him, “Castiel, oh Father help me…” he breathed.  Castiel looked up to Gabriel, scared blue eyes meeting the archangel’s golden ones. “Ga’riel. I’m scared.”

“Castiel!” Lucifer called, looking for the child-like fledgling. “Where are you, Castiel? We were just getting started!”

Castiel looked behind him in the direction of Lucifer’s voice, his little bedraggled wings quaking in fear. “Don’ let ‘im get me..” he whispered harshly. Gabriel scooped him up into his arms and held him close. His large golden wings wrapped around the smaller angel protectively.

“I won’t, Nugget. You just hold on to me and I’ll take care of Lucifer,” he whispered quietly into Castiel’s ear, “Now I want you to be very brave and think about Lucifer going away. Far away. Focus every ounce of your grace on that, okay? Can you do that?”

Castiel buried his face into Gabriel’s shirt, nodding as he squeezed his eyes shut and focused on Gabriel’s words. “Yes, Ga’riel.”

“Okay, here we go,” Gabriel took a deep breath and in a voice that echoed in Castiel’s mind, he began a recitation he’d never imagined he would ever need. “Omnipotentis Dei potestatem invoco, Omnipotentis Dei potestatem invoco, Aborro te ut, Angelum omnium obsequendum, Domine expuet, Domine expuet, Deum adempiremus veritas”

Lucifer cringed as the chant took place, glaring at his brother. “ _Traitor,_ ” he hissed before he was expelled from the Vessel that his baby brother was occupying and ending up in his True Form. Looking around, he groaned. Now he was without a Vessel and needed one. But he felt... powerless? What words _did_ Gabriel utter?? Or was there something more sinister at play?

**.oOo.**

A flash of light brighter than the sun nearly blinded Gabriel, but he clamped his eyes shut and waited for the darkness to come again. Opening his eyes he looked at the ancient child in his arms. “Castiel, are you okay?”

Castiel let out a choked sob as he clutched onto Gabriel. “I only wanted to help.”

Gabriel’s heart broke at the sound of his brother crying against him. “It’s okay, Cassie. You were a big help and very brave. I’m so proud of you. You helped me make Lucifer go home.” Leaning back so he could carefully pry Castiel away from him his collar, he wiped the tears from his cheeks. “Can you continue to be brave for me?”

“Yes,” Castiel said in a small, watery voice, “I’ll be brave.”

“That’s my angel.” Gabriel smiled at him while sitting him on the ground at his feet. “I’m going to leave your vessel because it’s bad for both of us to be here, but I’m going to take you someplace safe so you can rest.”

Castiel looked like he was going to protest but then his mouth set in a hard line that spoke volumes about his true age. Nodding he took a step back from Gabriel, his wings drooping to the ground. “Okay.”

Gabriel ran his hand over the top of Castiel’s head, using a touch of his grace to clean the grime of Lucifer’s possession from him. The sky around them lightened with each passing moment that the Devil was gone. “I love you, Castiel and I promise to make this right,” he promised and with a reluctant sigh, disappeared from the seraph’smind. Once he’s back in his own vessel, he pulled back from the ‘kiss’ with Castiel’s vessel and let his brother’s limp body fall into his arms, saying, “Hold on, baby bro. I’ll take care of you.” Opening his wings, Gabriel flew to one of the warded homes he’d kept over the years. Landing in the master bedroom, Gabriel changed Castiel into a pair of silk pajamas with a snap of his fingers. Taking a moment as he tucked the covers up around the Angel’s shoulders to gather his thoughts and plan out his next step. On one hand he needed to find Lucifer and put an end to this farce. On the other hand, he needed to keep Castiel safe. Bending down, he kisse Castiel on the forehead and for the first time since he left Heaven, he knelt at the bedside and prayed to his Father, hoping that he’d be heard.

“Father, I know I’ve not spoken to you in a very long time and I don’t deserve your mercy. But please help me. Guide me as you once did so that I know which is the right path. I can’t do this alone.” he pleaded as he bowed his head until it touched the bed with his hands clasped behind his neck. “Mea Culpa. Mea Maxima Culpa,” he whispered to the air.

**.oOo.**

Dean had been wandering the halls of the bunker while Sam rested after having his soul ‘bad touched’ by Lucifer. What Gabriel had so bluntly said to him wasn’t anything he hadn’t thought himself since finding out that about the Devil’s possession. It just confirmed his own thoughts. He’d been a terrible friend and if he had to do it all over again, he’d change that. Hell, if he was given another chance with Castiel alive and well, he’d make it his mission to make the angel feel like a real part of the family.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a ungodly howl of rage from the dungeon. Grabbing the gun he seemed to always keep in his waistband, he charged down the halls until he reached the entrance. Stopping in his tracks, he’s confronted with the sight of a boy no older than 12 years. A child he’d never seen before before, throwing themselves at the invisible barrier created by the Devil’s trap. “What the hell?” he whispered to himself as he took a cautious step inside.

The kid stopped their tantrum-like behaviour and grinned maliciously at Dean. The kind of smile the hunter had not witnessed since Lilith. “I should have known,” the boy seethed, “I’ll tear Gabriel apart for this. I swear I’ll kill that traitorous runaway.” He stopped in his tracks and stared at Dean with a finger pointing to the ceiling, “There’s no way you’d be smart enough to do this.”

Dean glanced up to see that the usual symbols had been changed, if only slightly with glyphs he didn’t recognize. Looking back to the boy, he finally recognized the look of disdain on his face. “Lucifer,” he said.

“Good for you, Ape. Want a banana for the effort?” Lucifer huffed as he turned his back on Dean to study the symbols etched into the walls. “Have to figure out how he weakened me,” he grumbled.

Dean’s heart leapt into his throat when he heard Lucifer admit that he was weakened.  In that moment, vengeance caught hold of Dean, making him discard his gun in favor of the Angel Blade they’d left on the table from when Crowley had been their prisoner. With blade in hand, he threw it across the room, catching Lucifer unaware. “Hey, douche-wad! How big are you now?” Dean shouted as the weapon sunk deep into Lucifer’s back, piercing his heart.

Lucifer felt the blade pierce his chest and looked down in shock, touching the tip. _Looks like Mikey killed me after all,_ was his final thought. Then with a gasp, the room filled bright light as his Grace shattered into oblivion; killed by his older brother’s True Vessel.

**.oOo.**

Gabriel stayed kneeling beside Castiel’s bed, trying to gently coax his brother’s grace to heal with touches from his own. “Come on, Little Bird,” he murmured as he worked. “It’s safe now. Gabriel’s here and I need you to come back. Please, Castiel.”

He was about to send another wave of grace deeper into Castiel, maybe even try to enter his vessel again to try and coax him out, when he heard his doorbell ring out the opening bars to Stairway to Heaven. Confused at who or what would know the house was here, let alone have the balls to ring the bell, he rolled up to his feet to go find out.

Opening the door with a jerk, he looked around ready to tear a new one into any girl scout he might find on his stoop. When he didn’t see anyone, he let out a sigh and promised himself to hunt down the culprit later. He was about to close the door when he heard a small coo from the rose bush beside the door. A rose bush that had not been there before and was blooming blood red flowers. Letting his blade slip into his palm, he approaches the bush and pushed the branches of the bush aside. Nestled underneath was a basket, woven from reeds in a style he’d not seen since Moses. “What in the world?” Gabriel mumbled as he knelt down and drew the basket out of the garden. Sitting it beside him, he opened the pitch covered lid and gasped at what he saw inside. A baby. No, not a baby. A fledgling with wings in the shades of the rose colored dawn. The fledgling looked up at Gabriel with a toothless grin and waved a piece of parchment at him. Reaching out, he took the letter from the baby and read.

 

> _Gabriel-_
> 
> _This fledgling is in your’s and Castiel’s hands now. It’s your fallen brother, Lucifer, whom everyone, myself included, wronged. This was never meant to be the plan, but it’s the way that it turned out, and for that, I am sorry. We all should’ve seen the warning signs, and I should’ve done something different with Amara. I thought that our Morning Star, the brightest of our Host, would be able to handle it. I was wrong. We all were._
> 
> _Lucifer died shortly after you banished him from Castiel’s Vessel, but I offered to bring him back- but he’d have to start all over again. He accepted._
> 
> _All Lucifer ever wanted was a chance at redemption, but we denied him that right- until now. You are the best choice at raising him, as Michael is still in the Cage and Raphael is no more. I believe that with Castiel’s help and the Winchesters’, we can regain our Morning Star once more._
> 
> _Please, show him the kindness and compassion he once had._
> 
> _Father._

“Lucifer?” he breathed out in disbelief as his eyes wandered back to the fledgling. Little Lucifer reached up with chubby hands that opened and clenched in a clear signal that he wanted to be picked up. Tucking the letter back into the basket, Gabriel lifted him out of the makeshift nest and held him to his chest. His wings automatically unfolding to wrap around the them in a protective gesture. Lucifer’s eyes lit up with joy at the sight. His hand instantly reaching out to grab one of Gabriel’s feathers to stuff into his mouth. Smiling, Gabriel smoothed his hand over the fuzz on top of the baby’s head. “I think I’m going to call you Lulu. Cas didn’t seem to mind his nicknames and maybe it’ll keep you from taking yourself so seriously.” Standing up, he took the new bundle in the house to meet his sleeping brother.

**.oOo.**

Days later, when Castiel wouldn’t speak except to ask for Dean, Gabriel went to get the Winchesters. After an hour of arguing and explaining with little Lulu strapped in a sling around his chest, they finally agreed to come to Gabriel’s house. It’s not the third day since their arrival and Dean’s taking his turn with spending time with Castiel, trying to coax the Angel out of his protective shell.  Gabriel took advantage of the time to rest his grace and get some quality time with Lucifer.

Once again wearing the wrap sling with Lucifer tucked safely inside with only his head poking out, Gabriel found Sam sitting on the back porch watching the sunset. “Hey Kiddo, you look like someone who’s thinking too hard. What’s on your mind?” he sat next to the youngest Winchester. Lucifer whined and turned in his sling to nuzzle his face more into Gabriel’s chest, yawning softly, his wings fluffing up in contentment.

Sam shrugged as he glanced warily at the infant in Gabriel’s arms. “I was just thinking about what to do next. Amara’s still out there even though we haven’t heard anything from or about her since all this went down with you and Lucifer. I guess I just worry that something is going to come down on us and without help, we won’t make it out of this one.  

Lucifer turned at the sound of his name, opening bright blue eyes to look at the hunter before hiding himself behind his still visible wings shyly with a squeak. Gabriel lifts Lucifer out of the sling and cradles him against his shoulder. His hand gently petting over his wings as he silently watched the sun sink below the horizon. What could he say? Don’t worry, it’ll all work out in the end? He just couldn’t say something like that right now. At least out loud. Everything seemed so chaotic at the moment.

“So.” Sam asks tentatively. “You going to stick around and help with Amara?”

Gabriel took a deep breath and turned to look at Sam. Nodding solemnly he answered softly so as not to startle the baby. “Dammit, I knew you were gonna be my death one day, Winchester!” he paused to consider his answer. Yeah… I’ll help. I’m no Luci, though, but I’ll do what I can,” he stopped to place a gentle kiss to the side of Lulu’s head while his mind whirled a mile a minute.  

Lucifer contributed to the conversation by biting down on one of Gabriel’s invisible, golden feather and nuzzling more into Gabriel’s shoulder. “ _Esiasacahe”_ he mumbled.

Sam reached over to pat Gabriel on the knee. A fond smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “No. You’re better”

“ _Esiasacahe!_ ” Lucifer pouted and gently, but firmly pulled on a feather.

“I heard you the first time, Lulu.” Gabriel winced at the pain from the pull.

Sam looked unashamedly at Lucifer for the first time since his arrival, asking, “What did he say?”

“Brother,” Gabriel said with a small smile as he turned the infant around to face Sam. “He said ‘brother’.”

“ _Esiasacahe,_ ” Lucifer purred happily. He pointed at Sam importantly. “ _Zizop (Vessel)!_ ”


End file.
